ONE FOR SORROW, TWO FOR DEATH. In the Barrenlands of Wrath, no one dies of old age. Kyle is used to its harsh laws, but the cold-blooded separation of identical twins and execution of the 'evil twists' at the Annual Peace Fair shocks him. When Kyle himself is betrayed, he flees for his life with the reluctant help of Sky, a rebel pilot with a hidden agenda. As the hunt intensifies, Kyle soon realises that he is no ordinary runaway, although he has no idea why. Fighting to learn the hideous truth, their reluctant, conflicted partnership will either save them - or kill them. ✱ Pages: 400 (paperback) ✱ Publication date: 7 April 2016 ✱ Series: The Sign of One #1 ✱ Provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review ✱ Amazon UK | Amazon US

I was really intrigued by this one as soon as I saw the cover - but I'm always a bit hesitant when it comes to reading books I haven't seen anyone else blog about. Turns out I had no reason for hesitation whatsoever. (Also, that cover is really appropriate to this story.)

This was more interesting to me than a lot of thrillers I've read, maybe because like a lot of YA fiction, it has that way of making a quick emotional connection to characters, and then the story starts moving and never stops. Another explanation? It's sci-fi which does also have a habit of making a book addictive because there's a whole new world to explore.

Kyle and Sky

Raised in the Barrenlands where the laws are harsh and the living even worse, Kyle's world changes irrevocably the day he first attends a Peace Fair. At the start of the story, when we first meet Kyle, he's kind of a scaredy-cat. He doesn't want to stand up against bullies, he doesn't want to think about what things really mean. The way he changes over the story, the courage he finds in himself, is wonderful to witness.

Sky is brash, stubborn, and prone to using people to get what she wants, according to some descriptions. Behind it all is a girl who lost her sister. She's interesting: guarded, as well as usually pretty hesitant to share her plans or motivations.

The Problem with Identical Twins...

As if living in the Barrenlands wasn't bad enough, if a person has the misfortune of being an identical twin, their life is bound to be a lot worse than the others' in their miserable community. Identical twins 'idents' are thought of as bad omens: once they are old enough, they are separated. One of them is evil, a 'twist,'  and headed for a hanging. the other branded a 'pureblood' and allowed to live. It's a horrifying, brutal thing to witness - the branding, the hanging - but it's part of the entertainment of the annual Peace Fair.

The Plot

Full of quick twists, the Sign of One is pretty much unputdownable. An intriguing story that moves at a relentless pace and doesn't spare you the slightly gory details, it also offers you mystery, intrigue, and adventure! I'm really curious to find out how the story - and the fight- continue, and how our characters are faring after the ending.

This was an intense read! The Sign of One adds a slight YA twist to the sci-fi thriller, and does it well.

 

What do you think - are you going to give this sci-fi adventure a go? Do you have any sci-fi recommendations for me? I'm kind of a sci-fi noob...

Hello lovelies!

As you might know, I spent three days without wifi (an entire weekend) recently. It was awful.
But now that I have internet access around the clock again, I feel like I can't get enough of being able to talk to all of you all the time.

Anyway, I'm generally really bad at being spontaneous (or trying new things, or doing things I'm bad at), so I thought I'd venture out of my comfort zone and do a sort of random, chatty blog post about Camp NaNo, because...why not? I'm practising being spontaneous and unleashing my weirdness, letting it attack you lovely people. Win-win.

Camp NaNoWriMo

I'm trying to brave here, so let me introduce my story to you...

(working) title:
the Dreamweaver

synopsis:
Nenna starts seeing the past in her dreams. She lives in a world where it is forbidden and dangerous to even mention the possibility of magic, but there is one exception to this rule. Working for the king means your magic is 'forgiven' - as long as you use it in his service. This is how Nenna and a few other unfortunate souls end up being sent to a mythical lost city in the mountains. Their mission is to find out what magic was used in its destruction, and most importantly to the king: how could that magic be harnessed now? The information they find will be used against the king's opponents, which could well include their own group. How important are their lives at the hands of the king as opposed to the lives of thousands in other lands that will surely be in danger if the king gets what he wants?

opening line:
She was twelve when she met the dead boy.

snippet: (this is from the prologue and I haven't edited it at all, so sorry if it's really messy!)

Later when she would think of it, she would be careful to note that she must have blacked out. But in that moment, she saw a boy. Reddish hair, grown out and messy, and green eyes that seemed empty and hollow, like they were missing something – like a spark should’ve been visible in them. There was a glow, however, around him. It was slight, but she could see it. She reached out again, her hand reaching for his shoulder. “Who are you?”

He frowned. “Ruderick. I’m Ruderick. Nenna, I tried to escape, and I hid – but he found me.” The words flowed out, no stopping them. “They always find us, Nenna. You should run. You must. You can’t trust them, you can’t trust anyone.” The boy was shaking his head, his red hair falling into his eyes. “I can’t stay, and neither can you. Go. Go! Don’t let them get you too.”

“I don’t understand, I don’t know what you’re saying – ”

He leaned closer, too close, his face almost against hers. “You need to go.” His hand groped for her wrist, and frightened, Nenna wrenched herself away, falling onto her back, her head suddenly swimming, her limbs heavy and weak, her vision blurred and dark at the edges. Dazed, she blinked, shook her head, gasped in a breath, then slowly another, and another, until her head could hold more thoughts than ‘I think I’m dying.’ She turned her head towards the side, where she knew the boy would be waiting her out – but saw nothing. The glow was gone, the boy was gone, but the bundle of cloth remained. Everything seemed dark all of a sudden.

Wanna know how ridiculous I am when writing?

• I found this in my draft: "NOPE > don't get rid of characters yet. Kill them later."
• I drunk typed a thousand words the other night. I remember there was a failed attempt at seduction but I honestly don't want to know how bad it is. I'll reread it next month. And then edit heavily.
• I added a character called Theod in for a chapter because I needed his help to get Nenna from place A to place B... She went and fell in love with him, and now I CAN'T GET RID OF HIM. I don't know how this happened.
• It took me two days to realise I had named a mythical, long-lost city after my cat. Oops.

Progress so far

I'm just over 20,000 words in which seems kind of insane to me. I'm maybe a third into the story. Day 6 has been a bit slow for me, I'm focusing on reading and catching up on people's blogs which is a fun change of pace since the last five days have mostly just centred around writing.

A few things coming up on the blog

I'm currently reading SHTUM and the Sign of One - both are debut novels, and both are also set for publication tomorrow (7th April!), so I will try to let you know my thoughts on them fairly soon!

Geraldine @ Corralling Books and Joan @ Fiddler Blue's new Conversations meme goes live this Saturday! Check out the details over at Corralling Books and join by writing your own post!

 

Are you writing this month - whether you're taking part in NaNo or not? Let me know what your story is about! And... I'm kind of already cringing in fear but - if you have a sec I would love to know what you think of my story idea :)

We are seventeen and shattered and still dancing. We have messy, throbbing hearts, and we are stronger than anyone could ever know… Jonah never thought a girl like Vivi would come along. Vivi didn’t know Jonah would light up her world. Neither of them expected a summer like this…a summer that would rewrite their futures. In an unflinching story about new love, old wounds, and forces beyond our control, two teens find that when you collide with the right person at just the right time, it will change you forever.  ✱ Pages: 352 (hardcover) ✱ Publication date: 5 April 2016 (US)/7 April (UK) ✱ Provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review ✱ Amazon UK | Amazon US

The tagline on the cover is "can you fall in love when you're falling apart?" and I think that's a really good question to explore. I've been reading quite a bit of fiction focused on mental health, so I was intrigued the moment I heard about this.

Vivi & Jonah

Jonah is struggling with a really difficult family situation, and he does it brilliantly - or at least as well as anyone could. I've experienced something a bit similar and the way he deals with being the step-in parent to his younger siblings is relatable, inspiring, and heart-breaking to me, all at the same time.

It's slightly harder for me to talk about Vivi's character because I don't know have much experience about bipolar disorder, but she's an interesting character - a force of nature, unapologetic about who she is and how she feels. In a lot of ways I wish I could be more like her.

Both these characters were wonderfully real, and Emery Lord puts them out there with all their faults, and lets us see that it's okay: it's fine to be a bit damaged, it's fine to need help. And most importantly, it's never too late to ask for that help and support from the people around us.

Family Life

Jonah's big family (six kids!) is dealing with a recent loss, and it seems the best they can hope for is to keep going, one day at a time, and this brings up the importance of family in a really touching way. We're introduced to the Daniels household, and we see it as something wonderful despite everything that's broken, despite everything they've lost. The surrounding community - other families - and their support are also touched upon, and I think it's lovely to see the goodness in people, and to think about the way we can help our fellow humans when they're in need.

Portrayal of Mental Illness and Medication

Mental health in teenagers and adults is an important theme in When We Collided. Bipolar disorder and depression (whether related to bipolar or not) are widespread, and affect so many. It's an important issue to talk about, especially in YA literature, and it's an important issue to get right.

This is exactly what Emery Lord does in her book. She really does get it so right. She talks about medication, she talks about doing stupid things, or not being able to feel anything, because of mental illness. But she assigns to stigma to it. It's really wonderful to see these topics handled in such an understanding, caring way.

I think the moment I fell in love with this book was when Vivi talked about her depression in order to connect with another character experiencing it. It just hit me as being so true to life, and it was incredibly touching.

This book gets me in ways most people can't. I fell in love with Jonah just like Vivi did, and I loved Vivi with the passion of someone who understands where she's been.

And the way mental illness is handled here? It's maybe the best I've seen.

 

Have you read Emery Lord before? Are you going to pick up this one? Do you have any favourite depictions of mental health/illness in literature?

Actually - if you are planning to read this, can you do it soon and then throw a pen at me on twitter/GR/here so we can discuss? Because I would love that.

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme for sharing our news and plans for the next week, hosted by the wonderful Kimba @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer.

Hello lovelies!

My internet DIED on Friday, so I have spent an entire weekend without wifi. (Okay, I admit it: I've sat in my favourite coffee shop for hours because apparently I can't live without being able to contact you all every minute of the day). It should start working on Monday morning - they promised me it would - so I'll be back and checking all your lovely Sunday posts soon!

In other news I am still working on a Master's thesis but don't have a confirmed topic. So basically I'm a very stressed out little Annika at the moment.

Maybe most importantly, I've started writing for Camp NaNoWrimo. Because of that, my life basically resembles this picture:

It's Day 3 now, and I'm at just over 10,000 words. My goal is 30k, but I think I might just stretch it to 50k, since the writing gods seem to be somewhat familiar for the moment.

This Past Week in Review

✦ my reading plans for ARC April - it's a fun event that you can join until 15th April!

✦ why I love the blogging community - feel free to join the discussion! There are also a few references and links to musicals hidden in the post ;)

✦ Reviewed Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire, a really interesting novella.

✦ wrapped up my first blogging event

✦ talked about my favourite books read in March - if you're in need of recommendations, check these :)

✦ I also just posted a review of Howl's Moving Castle - have you seen the movie?

I'm really looking forward to continuing Sarah J. Maas' books. Have you read any of these? Any recommendations for which one to read first?

These last two were free on Amazon UK (thanks for letting me know Katelynn!) - so if you're interested, definitely go see if they're free on your country's Amazon!

 

✦ Review of When We Collided by Emery Lord

✦ Conversations: diversity in literature

 

How was your week? Did you read anything that blew your socks off? I'm also in need of some positivity so tell me: what was the best thing that happened to you this week?

"How about making a bargain with me?" said the demon. "I'll break your spell if you agree to break this contact I'm under." In the land of Ingary, where seven-league boots and cloaks of invisibility really exist, Sophie Hatter attracts the unwelcome attention of the Witch of the Waste, who puts a curse on her. Determined to make the best of things, Sophie travels to the one place where she might get help - the moving castle which hovers on the nearby hills. But the castle belongs to the dreaded Wizard Howl whose appetite, they say, is satisfied only by the hearts of young girls... ✱ Pages: 302 (paperback) ✱ Publication date: 1986 ✱ Howl's Moving Castle #1 ✱ Amazon UK | Amazon US

This is one of the only middle grade books I will probably ever feature on this blog, but I feel like a) this one is worth it, and b) so many people have seen the film based on this that they deserve to know more about the book. I should probably add a slight disclaimer though: I've reread this book a dozen times since I was a kid, so I may be slightly biased.

Sophie, Howl, and the Magic

Sophie Hatter is one of my favourite protagonists - ever - because I see a lot of myself in her. She believes herself unlucky, and the most important thing for her to do is to make sure her two younger sisters are fine. She's self-sacrificing, cares too much about others' expectations, and doesn't believe in herself, at all. It took me a decade to realise that the reason I loved her so much was probably because I enjoyed seeing her grow out of from under all the expectations piled on her, to become her own person.

The Magician, Howl, is temperamental, childish, and a slitherer-outer, according to  Sophie. They are very different characters, but somehow they end up getting to know each other, and getting along despite their clashing personalities.

The Magic in this universe seems to be very different depending on who is wielding it, and it's a really interesting concept to me. There are curious magical creatures and happenings in the story: a fire demon, a spell that ages a person by about seventy years, a magical castle with doors to different worlds.

Why do I love it so much?

It's a world where good can conquer evil, where magic exists, and where stories seem to be important to people when they are coming to terms with their own identity. I think the dialogue and the story-telling are wonderful, and I like the pacing. It's like a fairy-tale but in slightly longer form, and like the best fairy-tales, I think it has a lot to say about people in general. I also love that the chapter titles summarise what happens without giving things away. For example, 'Chapter One In which Sophie talks to hats,' or 'Chapter Nineteen in which Sophie expresses her feelings with weed-killer.'

If you're still not convinced, let me send a few quick quotes your way:

“I make that four horses and ten men just to get rid of one old woman. What did you do to the King?”

✱ 

“Nothing is safe from you. If I were to court a girl who lived on an iceberg in the middle of the ocean, sooner or later— probably sooner— I’d look up to see you swooping overhead on a broomstick. In fact, by now I’d be disappointed in you if I didn’t see you.”
“Are you off to the iceberg today?” Sophie retorted.

✱

“I've got a hangover!"
"No, you hit your head on the floor," Sophie said.
Howl rose up on his hands and knees with a scramble. "I can't stay," he said. "I've got to rescue that fool Sophie."
"I'm here!" Sophie shook his shoulder. "But so is Miss Angorian! Get up and do something about her!”

Howl's Moving Castle is my happy place. This was what I turned to when All the Bright Places utterly destroyed me, and it worked. It's a quick, feel-good kind of read, and I'd definitely recommend giving it a go, especially if you're a fan of the Ghibli movie!

Have you read the book or watched the film? If you're a Ghibli fan, tell me your favourite movie! :)

Hello lovelies! It's April already and I have no idea how that happened. To wrap up the month, I've picked five of my favourite reads from the past month, so you can check them out if you're looking for something to read (because aren't we all?)! I realised that I read quite a few 5-star books this month, so obviously I've had a pretty good reading month! :)

A Gathering of Shadows by V.E. Schwab.   I've talked about my love for A Darker Shade of Magic and it's sequel AGOS so much on here, but I seriously love the world (fantasy setting with four alternate Londons) and I'm already missing the characters! Rebel of the Sands by Alwyn Hamilton.   Another book I absolutely devoured! With influences from Middle Eastern and Persian mythology, and the feel of a Western to it, you could say this one is something slightly different! A YA fantasy with wonderful story-telling, a badass gunslinger heroine, and a plot that just keeps moving. Jane Steele by Lyndsay Faye.    A twist on Jane Eyre, where our protagonist starts killing people (for some pretty legit reasons). This is just delightful and you should definitely read it because of the charming characters, the wonderful writing, and the great way Jane Eyre is used as an inspiration while still making the story entirely its own. You Know Me Well by Nina LaCour and David Levithan.   This one isn't set for publication until June so my review is scheduled until the end of May - but you should already add it to your list of awesome summer releases! This book focuses on LGBT themes when you're already out - so it's a bit of a different take on the other LGBT books in the YA genre. You Know Me Well focuses on growing up, on friendships, and on finding love. I really only wished it was a tiny bit longer :) All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven.   I'm doing a discussion post related to this later in April but for now: this book just broke me. Another YA pick for my list, but this one deals with mental health, and I just think it has a lot of important things to say about how we as a society try to 'handle' this, especially in teenagers. I love this book although I spent a fair while just crying afterwards. A week later I'm still at the point where every time I think about it, this happens: There are so many I'm too embarrassed to get a photo of them all... So here's all the most of the books with white covers I got this month! This wine I'm currently drinking. Once Upon A Time! My bestie was over for a visit a week ago, so we watched a dozen episodes to catch up on the new season. Things are getting so intense!

In other exciting news, I hosted an impromptu Read-A-Thon in March! I'm really excited to do another one at the end of April - maybe another one that includes a writing component since some of us are doing Camp NaNo. If you're interested in hosting it with me (or in hosting a later one, even), let me know!

How was March for you? Did you read any books you'd recommend me? Have we read any of the same books? Is there anything you're absolutely obsessed with at the moment?